According to experts, iPhone 14 is Apple's worst upgrade ever.
It's been 6 months since the launch of the iPhone 14 (and iPhone 14 Plus). This is also an important milestone for a phone when users are wondering whether to buy a new iPhone right away or wait another 6 months to buy a newer one.
iPhone 14 is Apple's worst upgrade ever.
In this article, let's talk about the iPhone 14 along with all the other iPhone upgrades in history. While it's a great device on its own, the iPhone 14 isn't the most impressive new iPhone for those looking to upgrade from an older iPhone model.
Even, according to many reviewers, the iPhone 14 is at the bottom of the list of iPhone upgrades throughout the years.
iPhone 14 is the least impressive upgrade in Apple history
If you ignore the iPhone models of the same launch and the iPhone SE (Special Edition), there are exactly 14 different high-end iPhones in history. The upcoming iPhone 15 will be the 15th generation.
iPhone 14 is just a slight upgrade of iPhone 13.
So, in nearly 15 years of producing 15 different high-end iPhones, Apple has learned the importance of "slow innovation". This is also considered the de facto motto of the Cupertino-based company.
As a result, the company has made a lot of relatively minor upgrades over the years:
- iPhone 4S (from iPhone 4)
- iPhone 5S (from iPhone 5)
- iPhone 6S (from iPhone 6)
- iPhone 8 (from iPhone 7)
And as observed, the iPhone 14's potential "competitor" for the title of "smallest iPhone upgrade ever" is only the iPhone XS. As an "S" version, obviously, the iPhone XS is exactly the same as its predecessor (iPhone X) and also doesn't have many internal upgrades.
First, the iPhone XS appeared with the new A12 Bionic chip, manufactured on the 7nm process (the A11 Bionic chip is only manufactured on the 10nm process). In addition, Apple also upgraded from IP67 water and dust resistance to IP68. Coupled with 4GB of RAM (iPhone X only has 3GB of RAM), the iPhone XS is a notable upgrade.
Despite being identical in appearance to the iPhone X, the iPhone XS is one of the biggest changes in the way Apple approaches photography on the iPhone. The iPhone XS' aggressive HDR processing has (re)defined the look of iPhone photos for years to come. This alone makes the iPhone XS one of the biggest iPhone camera upgrades ever. In other words, the iPhone 14 is "the most trivial iPhone upgrade ever".
While the iPhone X represents the most significant iPhone upgrade, the iPhone 14 is the least noticeable.
2 biggest plus points of iPhone 14
- 6GB RAM instead of 4GB like iPhone 13"
- Slightly improved camera (with f/1.5 aperture instead of f/1.6), slightly better low-light shots
Above are 2 rare upgrades of iPhone 14 when "upgraded" from iPhone 13. Again, iPhone 14 is the most trivial and controversial upgrade.
One of the reasons is related to the fact that Apple (for the first time) reused the old chip for the new iPhone, only integrated for the iPhone 14 SoC like the iPhone 13 (Pro) from 2021. This has been met with a backlash. went viral online, and while it didn't have a huge impact on sales, it made the iPhone 14 harder to sell.
Photography capabilities from iPhone X (left) to iPhone XS (right) have been upgraded a lot.
The second reason is that the iPhone 14 became the first iPhone without a physical SIM card tray (US only). The decision caused an outcry on social media.
Despite offering some great hardware, good battery life, and (still) the longest software support of any flagship, the iPhone 14 still deserves the title of “least exciting upgrade.” .
However, iPhone 14 opens the door for iPhone 15. In other words, iPhone 15 is Apple's opportunity to "sorry" fans!
Many people choose iPhone 13 instead of iPhone 14
The global financial crisis has led users to spend more sparingly. On the other hand, people who need to upgrade their phones often have a better financial situation, they are willing to choose iPhone 14 Pro / iPhone 14 Pro Max instead of iPhone 14 / iPhone 14 Plus. Even the more powerful iPhone 13 Pro is also "favored" because it has the same price as the iPhone 14 Plus.
iPhone 14 (left) and iPhone 15 concept (right).
6 months after the iPhone 14 launch, the most reasonable option for iFan is to wait for the iPhone 15 or iPhone SE 4.
It is expected that the new iPhone 15 Series will have a Dynamic Island area, a 48 MP main camera with 2x optical zoom, a more comfortable (curved) design and a USB-C port. These will be features that could change the way users use their iPhones.